Seattle LGBTQ bookstore frustrated after holiday delivery debacle

SEATTLE - An LGBTQ bookstore in Fremont was not getting much-anticipated deliveries during the holiday shopping season, and the owners had no idea why.

One of the books stuck in transit: Heated Rivalry, a top-selling item and a top-streaming show.

Charlie's Queer Books is a vibrant store full of life and literature, which is why it's so confusing to the store's owners as to why deliveries were not coming in.

"We opened this bookstore in November 2023 as a response to the rising level of book-banning and anti-LGBTQ legislation," owner Charlie Hunts said.

Hunts founded Charlie's Queer Books with Madeline Burchard right in the heart of Fremont.

"It's a community hub for Seattle's LGBTQ community," Burchard said.

It's a store built around inclusion. Over the years, they've built a following and a booming little business. But they said around mid-November 2025, the flow of new books coming in from UPS suddenly stopped.

"Luckily, we planned a little early, so we had some holiday-themed merchandise, but we had nothing leading up to Christmas. The shelves were starting to look pretty bare," Hunts said.

They said dozens upon dozens of deliveries from UPS were in limbo. On Jan. 1, they sent FOX 13 Seattle at least 50 tracking numbers they said were involved in the shipping mishap.

"We've never had any issues. That's why it was so shocking," Hunts said.

No new books. Author events impacted. A hit to the bottom line. The owners estimated they lost a quarter of their holiday season revenue.

"I was feeling scared. We have put our life savings into this business," Burchard said.

Much in demand, they both said, were copies of Heated Rivalry. They had to turn shoppers away. The book has garnered a lot of attention recently, propelled by the popular show currently streaming on HBO Max.

"We had copies of Heated Rivalry, which is the number one best-seller in the country right now. We get asked at least five, ten times a day if we have copies of it. We did in those boxes," Hunts said.

Hunts said after repeated calls, the store received some deliveries from UPS just before Christmas, but that was it. 

"UPS told us several times that they have never seen this before and they don't know how it happened," Hunts said.

The issue with undelivered parcels continued.

"I'm very sad to suspect and believe that this was something done on purpose. It's disappointing, it's hurtful," Hunts said.

FOX 13 Seattle brought the concerns to UPS. A spokesperson said it was simply a big mistake. In a statement, UPS said:

"We strive to provide outstanding service to every customer, and regret when we fall short. In this case, the business was incorrectly listed in our system as being temporarily closed. We are in contact with the owner and working to make it right. We have delivered any remaining shipments."

After our inquiries, the owners told us their deliveries are back on track. It's a relief.

"I'm not calling every day just for fun, or to be a bother, or a squeaky wheel who gets the grease. I'm calling because I'm desperate," Hunts said.

They're hopeful this doesn't happen again.

"There was no discernible reason why this started. So, if you don't know why something begins, you think, it could happen at any time," Burchard said.

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